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After a month-long intense training session, celebrities Syafiq Kyle and Ain Edruce have been given the green light to compete in Season 3 of the Vios Challenge, part of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival (TGR Festival). The two young personalities will make their debut in the Promotional class of the one-make race in Round 1 of the TGR Festival on September 6/7 in Kuala Terengganu.

Held for the second time on a 1.65-km street circuit specially constructed for the event at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, the Vios Challenge will feature exhilarating door-to-door action on the track with celebrity, amateur and professional racing drivers competing in three classes of saloon car racing (Promotional, Sporting and Super Sporting classes respectively).

TGR Festival

10 celebrities for Season 3
A total of 10 local celebrities will compete in the Promotional category with actress Diana Danielle returning as the defending champion. Already a veteran after racing in the past two seasons, Diana will be challenged by Shukri Yahaya and Janna Nick, beat-boxer Shawn Lee, presenter Nabil Ahmad as well as singers Khai Bahar, Nabila Razali, and Wany Hasrita.

“It has been an incredible experience and I learnt a lot in the training session from understanding the proper racing lines, identifying my braking points, being in the proper gear in corners, how to defend my racing line to how to remain calm and mentally focused driving under pressure,” said 28-year-old Ain.

Before participating in the new season of the TGR Festival’s Vios Challenge, the newcomers have to undergo training so they can drive competitively and safely.

“I never realized that there is so much science to motor racing. Racing is much more than just the ability to drive fast but it requires in depth understanding of momentum, acceleration, deceleration, balance and handling of a vehicle. Being consistent and precise is the key to setting a quick pace around the track.”

The actress, model and presenter said she has ‘bonded well’ with the new Vios which she will use in the race. She described the racing car as being very perceptive in terms of handling and stable at high speeds. Competitors in all three classes of racing will drive identical Vios race cars as the one-make format prioritizes driving skills and experience instead of any modifications to increased vehicle performance.

TGR festival
All the racing cars in the Vios Challenge have identical performance with strict inspections before and after the races to ensure compliance. So it is more of driver skill than sheer power which can make the difference during racing.
TGR festival
UMW Toyota Motor’s Chief Motorsports Officer, Akio Takeyama (centre), with the two newcomers, Ain Edruce and Syafiq Kyle. Mr. Takeyama has also competed in the Promotional Category for the past two seasons and will join the racing again for Season 3.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old actor Syafiq Kyle hardly feels intimidated with the competition but will approach his first race on a street circuit cautiously. “I am well prepared for the challenge ahead but I believe the most challenging aspect of the race will be competing on a street circuit. This is something I will need to approach cautiously considering all of my training was conducted on a proper racing circuit where it is more forgiving to make mistakes. On a street circuit, there is no room for mistake – one hit against the concrete barrier and you’re out of the race,” he said.

“The strategy for the season will be to drive consistently but competitively, avoid concrete barriers, and try to finish every race,” added the former Hero Remaja 2011/12 finalist and Gol & Gincu actor.

TGR Festival

An event for all the family
For motorsports fans and spectators, the excitement of the TGR Festival is not confined to the action and drama on the track. At the Kuala Terengganu venue as well as the other venues, there will also be displays of Toyota’s fleet of latest models (with test drive available) , a drift performance by Japanese drifters courtesy of Toyo Tires, racing simulator challenge, stage games and celebrity performances, promotional activities, lucky draws, the sale of merchandise, and superfans signing session for a chance to meet with the celebrities racing in the Promotional class.

The TGR Festival is an event for all the family to enjoy and starts from 9 am on Friday September 6. It continues through Saturday till late in the evening when prize presentations are made to the winners. Entrance is free and there’s ample parking around the stadium.

For more information and updates on the TGR Festival Season 3, visit toyota.com.my/tgrmalaysia .

PISTON.MY

 

 

 

The folks from Nasim Sdn Bhd, the official custodian for the Peugeot brand here in Malaysia, has officially launched their latest 2019 Peugeot 3008 SUV Plus together with the 2019 Peugeot 5008 SUV Plus for the Malaysia market. Two variants for each model are available now from RM150,888 (OTR without insurance). (more…)

Malaysia’s 62nd Independence Day is just around the corner and in conjunction with all the celebrations, Bosch Automotive Aftermarket Malaysia (Bosch AA) together with the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development organised the ‘Heels & Wheels’ program – a car and road safety workshop for women. (more…)

Kurt Leitner has joined Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) as its new Managing Director, taking over from Florian Steiner who has taken a new position in Europe. Mr. Leitner, 52, has been been with the Porsche Holding Salzburg (PHS) group since 1988 and has held various management positions in the organisation.

He joins Erik Winter, who also has the position of Managing Director at VPCM, and like Mr. Steiner, he will have a dual role as Managing Director in Malaysia and Singapore where PHS manages the Volkswagen retail business. He will focus on human resources, information technology and finance while Mr. Winter will continue to helm VPCM’s sales, aftersales, dealer network and marketing operations.

VPCM
Erik Winter (left) with his new co-Managing Director Kurt Leitner

“I am very excited to be in this part of the region, living both in Malaysia and Singapore and working with people from different cultures and backgrounds.  This will be a new journey and learning experience for me and I hope to make the most of it during my time here” Mr. Leitner said.

Welcoming his new colleague, Mr. Winter said: “Mr Leitner is a great addition to the management team as he has an abundance of automotive retail and finance experience. Malaysia’s automotive scene is fast paced, and I believe that he will fit right in.”

With a strong upcoming product line-up and aggressive aftersales enhancements under the Volkswagen Cares brand promise, both VPCM Managing Directors are confident that the Volkswagen brand in Malaysia will continue to grow, amidst the highly competitive automotive landscape in Malaysia.

Click here for other news and articles about Volkswagen on PISTON.MY

Visit www.volkswagen.com.my to know about the products and service available in Malaysia.

PISTON.MY

The world was a very different place in the 1950s. World War II had ended the decade before and though there were conflicts here and there, most countries were moving forward and developing themselves. Links between countries had existed for a long time, some for thousands of years as trails between major trading posts and over time, they became roads in a permanent sense.

However, the roads were not as we know them today and though there existed a network across continents, they did not offer safe passage for ordinary motorized vehicles. Eastwards from Europe, the terrain was still in much of its natural state, and only large commercial vehicles could travel over it.

The First Overland

The experts said the journey couldn’t be done
But the spirit of adventure was drawing many adventurous people to see how far they could drive their vehicles. Six students at the Oxford and Cambridge universities were inspired by the 1954 Oxford and Cambridge Trans-Africa expedition in which two Land Rovers bearing the names of the famous universities had travelled to the continent. But instead of southwards, they wanted to drive east to the tip of Southeast Asia, Singapore.

The ‘experts’ told them that they were ‘geographically ignorant and politically naive; the journey couldn’t be done’. Even David Attenborough, just beginning his lifelong career producing documentaries about the planet, called it a ‘madcap adventure’. Nevertheless, the BBC produced three films which preserve that adventure for all time.

The First Overland

The First Overland

The First Overland
Officially called ‘The Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition’ – but referred to as ‘The First Overland’ – the vehicles used were the 1955 Series 1 Land Rover. They were also named ‘Oxford’ and ‘Cambridge’. The route was a logical one from Europe, cutting through the dusty deserts of Iran and then along northern India (with a detour to Karachi). This route would follow the Himalayan range and connected to what was then known as Burma (Myanmar today). The entry into Burma would have been an entirely different experience with the dense jungles and high humidity.

The First Overland`
Today’s expedition would have more supporting vehicles and crew – plus security personnel to provide protection.
The First Overland
‘Oxford’, one of the two Land Rovers, entering Malaya in 1956 – and rolling on the best roads since leaving the German autobahns 5 months earlier, according to team member Tim Slessor.

Malayan roads the best
From Burma, they headed southwards along the Isthmus of Kra to the border of the Federation of Malaya. It was a year before Merdeka and Malaya was still a British Colony. Driving ‘Oxford’, one of the original team members, Tim Slessor, recalled that he was delighted when he crossed the border to find – for the first time since leaving the German autobahns – he was on good smooth roads. In fact, while his countrymen would have been responsible for making the good roads all the way to the south, the initial part of it near the Thai border was constructed on the orders of the Sultan of Kedah as far back as 1880. By the time The First Overland Team arrived, the full length of the road from the border to Singapore had already been in existence from 7 years.

Upon reaching the finishing point at the Champion Motors showroom in Singapore’s Orchard Road in 1956, the expedition made headlines around the world by being the first drive from London to Singapore. It took them some 6 months to complete the journey – and remember that they had no GPS and no satellite or mobilephones and certainly no Google Earth.

The First Overland

‘Cambridge’ had been severely damaged towards the end and written off but ‘Oxford’ was returned to Land Rover after the adventure was over. Though it was a historically significant vehicle, Land Rover did not see fit to retain it and it was loaned for further expeditions. After being driven 16,000 kms across the world, it was still as durable as ever and could still go anywhere.

Abandoned on an island
Eventually, it ended up on a small island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean after an expedition. Abandoned, most of ‘Oxford’ was dismantled and left to rust. Then one day in 2017, one Adam Bennett came across it. He recognized the vehicle right away as he had followed The First Overland closely when he was younger. He knew he just had to bring it home and so ‘Oxford’ was brought back and refurbished.

The Last Overland

The First Overland

After all the restoration work was done, the vehicle was sent for its MOT vehicle inspection (mandatory for all vehicles that are driven on public roads in the UK). It passed at the first attempt and the authority allowed its original SNX891 numberplate to be reinstated.

Running as well as when new, Adam could have kept it but last year, he decided to gift ‘Oxford’ to Tim Slessor, now 87, who had been thinking of ‘one last adventure’ driving ‘Oxford’ from Singapore to London. Award-winning filmmaker, Alex Bescoby, had also been thinking of doing a documentary on The First Overland but when he learnt that Slessor was planning to drive ‘Oxford’ back from Singapore, the project became much bigger and more exciting.

The First and Last Overland

The Last Overland
This time, they would make the journey in reverse, from Singapore to London, calling it ‘The Last Overland’. As before, they will travel across 3 continents but the route would be different, not just to explore a different way but also because conditions in the Middle East, specifically Syria, make it dangerous for them to be driving there. As it is, where the original expedition team may have had a weapon or two for protection, this expedition will have protection provided by personnel (probably ex-military) from AKE International. And, of course, there are more support vehicles and crews too.

The Last Overland

It’s one of the things different from 1956 – the world is a more dangerous place. Where, 64 years ago, curiosity may have been common, there are groups which may see an opportunity to kidnap the convoy members and make money, or make a political statement. And depending on how concerned Queen Elizabeth and Boris Johnson are of British subjects being kidnapped, there may or may not be a rescue operation. But any group that does such a thing is likely to get only condemnation from the world community.

The other change would be that communications are lightyears ahead of the 1950s. There are private and military satellites which can survey even the most inaccessible terrain and if it becomes necessary to get someone out due to a medical emergency, an airlift could be arranged. It would be almost impossible to be ‘lost’ unless something so catastrophic occurred that all communications equipment was destroyed. Of course, having said that, the location of MH370 still remains unknown…

Reporting via Instagram
The entire journey will be reported via the official website and Instagram has been chosen for updates. That’s very different from The First Overland when reports of the expedition’s progress may have taken a month or two to reach London – if a post office could be found along the way. Now videos can be uploaded and at almost anytime, team members can even contact their loved ones from wherever they are.

The First Overland
Unlike the team in The First Overland, those now travelling in The Last Overland will be more comfortable. They have modern camping gear, satellite communications, additional vehicles to carry food and other supplies.

The aim is to arrive in London, at the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), within approximately 100 days of setting out from Singapore. By then, after leaving the Peninsular of Malaysia, they would have continued through Myanmar, the mountains of the Himalayas, northern Turkey, as well as over twenty countries, including Nepal, China, Uzbekistan, Iran and Bulgaria. Where the first expedition travelled through France, they will head towards England through Belgium.

The Last Overland expedition began yesterday from Singapore’s F1 circuit in Marina Bay. The ‘Oxford’ was escorted through the streets of Singapore all the way to the country’s border with Malaysia by a parade of other Land Rovers driven by local enthusiasts. Although Tim Slessor was to have accompanied the convoy from Singapore, he was ill on the day of departure. Nevertheless, his grandson is with the team to represent him.

The Last Overland

In Malaysia, the team stopped to meet local media in Kuala Lumpur and then made its way to Cameron Highlands to visit the ‘Land of Land Rovers’ where Series I to III models are still being used by vegetable farmers.

Good luck to The Last Overland team and may your journey to London be as exciting as the first, and you arrive safe and sound to tell the complete story.

PISTON.MY

The Perodua brand is off to quite an amazing start in Sri Lanka. It only took two years for the Perodua Bezza to become the best-selling new sub-1.0 litre sedan in their current local market and the demand is on rise.

In fact, it only took seven months after its introduction in the country before it took the lead in its segment in terms of new vehicle sales across all body styles. Launched back in June 2017, the Bezza was priced at Rs 3.69 million (around RM86,200) and they’ve already sold around 1,500 units. (more…)

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